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From Juve to Joshua, week filled with big events

By Martin Green16 September 2018

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Champions League

There are some amazing games to look forward to in the Champions League this week, as Liverpool host PSG, Bayern Munich travel to Benfica, Real Madrid host Roma and Juventus travel to Valencia. Cristiano Ronaldo has made a somewhat inauspicious start to his Juve career, but he comes alive in the Champions League and the old lady of Italian football looks well priced at 10/11 to win away at Valencia. Tottenham are struggling, but they too look a great option at 9/5 to win away at Inter, while "both teams to score" and "over" 2.5 goals could be the way forward in the Liverpool v PSG game. Comfortable home wins are expected for Barcelona, Ajax, Man City and Real Madrid.

The Tour Championship

Golf’s FedEx playoffs conclude this week with the 2018 Tour Championship at East Lake Gold Course. Only 30 players remain standing, with surprise candidate Bryson DeChambeau leading the FedEx Cup table from Justin Rose, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas. But that could all change this week as there are a number of points up for grabs at this concluding tournament. Most bookmakers have Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose as 8/1 joint favourites, while Boyle Sports will go to 9/1 on either man. It pays out a fifth of the odds on a top five finish, so opting for Rose each-way at 9/1 looks like a great option, as the Englishman is in magnificent form and he has a very strong record in this tournament. Interesting longer shots include Tiger Woods at 16/1 and Xander Schauffele at 33/1.

Anthony Joshua v Alexander Povetkin

World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will put his WBA Super, IBF, WBO and IBO titles on the line when he tangles with Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on Saturday. He stopped the legendary Vladimir Klitschko on his last Wembley appearance, and he is expected to make short work of the WBA’s mandatory challenger in this bout. He is just 1/14 with bookmakers like Bet365 to win it, and that makes sense as he remains unbeaten in his magnificent career. But Povetkin is no slouch, having lost just once in his 35 professional fights. That came at the hands of Klitschko in his prime, and Povetkin has since knocked out Manuel Charr, Carlos Takam Mike Perez, Mariusz Wach, Johann Duhaupas and David Price, so he should not be taken lightly. Yet he is now 38 years old, and Joshua is a decade younger, so the champion’s superior athleticism should carry him to victory. Joshua is 2/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair to win with a knockout in rounds 7-12, which looks good, and you could hedge with the 7/2 available on the Brit winning via a decision.

Asia Cup

India take on bitter rivals Pakistan in an eagerly anticipated Asia Cup clash in the UAE on Wednesday. They will be without captain and talisman Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the tournament, but they remain the most successful team in its history. They picked up an emphatic five-wicket victory when they last met Pakistan in the Asia Cup, back in 2016, and they have enough heavyweights in the squad to suggest they can pull off a similar feat here. Sky Bet and Paddy Power are offering 8/13 on an India victory, which looks tempting.

Premiership

Man City should go to Cardiff and pulverise Neil Warnock’s men on Saturday, while Man Utd will fancy their chances at home to Wolves. Liverpool host Southampton and should tear them apart, so giving the Reds an Asian handicap looks enticing. Chelsea have a great chance to maintain their impressive early season momentum when they travel to West Ham, and Arsenal should have enough firepower to gun down Everton at the Emirates. Leicester badly need a win after a humbling at Bournemouth last time out, and they should beat Huddersfield at home.

European leagues

Barcelona’s Catalan derby against Girona looks interesting in Spain, as they should cover a decent handicap line. Real Madrid should also be able to swat Espanyol aside. Juventus should be able to pick up a comfortable win away at Frosinone, and Udinese draw no bet away at struggling Chievo also looks good.